GOYA - Historic Roswell Criterium | davem photography

Gave myself another sports assignment to shoot last weekend. This was a great event and one I would recommend anyone to attend. How can you pass up gorgeous weather, a great location and a free event.

I'm a cyclist, but nowhere near the level that these athletes are at. About 10 years ago I entered a weekend cycling competition that included a Time Trial and Criterium. All I can say is that it was a humbling experience. For the past 2 years due to economic circumstances, the Tour de Georgia has not taken place, an event that I wish would return. The Historic Roswell Criterium helps make up for it.

I will make it a point to attend this event every year. The cycling community came out to support these riders and it was simply amazing to see that many people for this event.

Shooting a fast pace sport like cycling isn't easy. The junior riders were easily riding at 20 mph and the pros were probably at 30 mph.

It takes a lot of skill and nerves to ride this tightly in a pack at 20+ mph especially in the corners.

I got this shot of the winner of one of the races. It wasn't a close race. This shot reminds me of a certain 7 time Tour de France winner. Now that's a race I would love to photograph.

There's a certain skill to photographing motion in sports. Shoot too fast of a shutter speed, freeze the action and the cyclist looks like they're standing still. Shoot too slow and all you get is a blur. The key is to use a slow enough shutter speed to show motion and then follow your subject to get that shot. Here are a couple of my favorites of the day.

I realized that it was easier to concentrate and shoot a single rider. It made for a more interesting shot than the whole group. The great thing about a criterium is that they ride laps, so there is plenty of opportunity to get several shots of different riders and from different angles.

Had a great time and I didn't even stay for the whole event. I shot tons more and also some video. I'm working on putting the video together and will post as soon as I'm done. If you competed at the event, know someone who did or you're just curious to see the rest of the photos, I've posted a gallery here. Help spread the word. These young athletes should be able to see their hard work and dedication preserved in an image.

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